FINANCE Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir has launched a legal challenge to a 280-year-old law that bans Irish from being spoken in court.
The Sinn Féin MLA said he would challenge the 1737 Act which "makes it a criminal offence to use any language other than English" in court.
His party and the DUP are at odds over an official Irish language act amid a looming snap election sparked by rows over the botched Renewable Heat Incentive scheme.
But Ulster Unionist MP Tom Elliott has questioned the legal move following the collapse of power-sharing.
"We have still to get any answers on the Renewable Heat Incentive, which is costing us £85,000 a day," he said. "Hospital waiting lists are spiralling out of control. Yet the DUP and Sinn Féin's biggest priority seems to be how many times they can poke each other in the eye."
Mr Ó Muilleoir said he wanted to "protect the rights of Irish speaking lawyers and all those who wish to use Irish in the courts".
"This type of legislation is not in use anywhere else in these islands and building on the work of the former DCAL Minister Carál Ní Chuilín, it is my intention to litigate against it," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Ó Muilleoir has said he plans to spend £160,000 over the next three years on artwork for the civil service collection.
He also confirmed that four exhibitions would take place on both sides of the border each year showcasing the publicly-owned collection.
